Safety razor



July 17, 1934. H, STONEY 1,967,180

SAFETY RAZOR July 17, 1934.

H. sToNEY 1,967,180

SAFETY RAZOR Filed Jan. 1l, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Il Il I 71 vena# Patented July 17, 1934 PATENT orties y 1,967,180 SAFETY RAZOR Harry' Stoney, Watertown, Mass., assignor to Glllette Safety Razor, Company, Boston, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Application Jzfrnuary 11, 1934, Serial No. 706,262

14 claims.

This invention relates to safety razors of the type in which a flexible and resilient blade is clamped for shaving between members which e shape the blade and supply external support therefor adjacent to its cutting edge. For convenience in useit is desirable that the operations of inserting and removing the blade should be such that they may be quickly carried out and tha-t the clamping membersmay be easily and fully separated to permit the removal or replacement of the blade without obstruction. In one aspect my invention consists in a safety razor having blade clamping members so constructed and arranged that these operations may be effected witha high degree of convenience and with great rapidity. With this end in view, an important feature of my invention consists in a blade-clamping member, herein shown as the cap, comprising co-operating sections mounted for movement into and out of blade-clamping position in rectilinear paths extending transversely to the head of the razor. Y One advantage incident'to the construction of my invention is that separation of thev sections may be effected rapidly and efticiently by bodily movement `of the sections from blade-clamping position to open or separated blade-receiving po' sition. For example, the cap sections maybe connected to and controlled in their transverse "130 position by a single .cam member effective inapproximately a quarter turn to move the cap sections throughout their entire range of movement. This is partly due to the fact that by employinga sectional cap of this construction it is unnecessary to cover` the entire area of the blade e when flexed and clamped in shaving position, but on the other hand, satisfactory results may be secured by clamping the flexed blade iny a narrow longitudinal zone located in the vicinity, of its *'40 Acutting edge and the fulcrum shoulders or convex portions of the b1adesupporting member or guard. The result is that a relatively short movenientv of sucht capsections is effective fully to expose the entire area of the blade.

tion of my invention is that the blade is flexed by a progressive wedging action of the cap sec-A tions and thus requires the application of rela-` Y tively light pressure in the flexing operation. This 50 is because the transverse rectilinear movement of the cap sections in flexing the blade is substantiallygreater than the` actual flexing displacement of the blade which results in the flexing of the bladeA being eected under favorable conditions of mechanical advantage,

Another advantage incident to the construc-v (Cl. Sti-12) These and other features of the invention will be best understood and `appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, selectedfor purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings, in Which,

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of the head of the razor;

Fig. 2 is a View in perspective of the razor as seen from below;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the razor on an enlarged scale; Y

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the head of the razor, with portions broken away; Y

Figs. 5 and 6 are views in perspective of the individual cap section members;

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view on the line 7 7 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 8 is a view in perspective of the guard member;

Fig. 9 is a View of the razor head in longitudinal section on the line 9;-9 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary view on a still larger scale showing the relation of a cap section to the blade and to the guard member of the razor.

The guard member l0 is rectangular in outline and provided along its longitudinal edges with guard teeth 12` which extend outwardly slightly beyond the cutting edge of the blade for which the razor is designed. The upper or blade-supporting'face of the guard member 10 is provided with longitudinal fulcrum shoulders over which the blade may be flexed when the `razor is clamped in position for shaving and with'a central longitudinal rib 14 for engaging and accurately lo` eating an internally apertured blade in shaving position. A stem or spindle 16 is formed integral with or otherwise rigidly secured to the guard member l0 and projects downwardly from its lower surface. `In each of its end edges the guard member is provided with a transverse groove or guideway 18 and into one'end of each guide- Way projectsa stop 20.

The cap section members 22 and 42 comprise open frames designed'substantially to enclose the guard member l0. The member 22, as shown in Fig. 6, is provided with a longitudinal bar 24 which constitutes its blade-exing element of the razor. Itsinner face is concave and designed to overlie the upper surface of the blade and flex the blade over one of the fulcrum shoulders of thev guard member. The inner face of the bar 24 is provided with curved ribs 26 bestishovvn in Fig. 10,. the lower edges of which contact with and flex theblade as the cap section is moved inwardly upon the guard. The cap section member 22 is also provided with transversely projecting guide bars 28 upon both end walls and with a bottom plate 30 from which projects a cam stud 32.

The cooperating cap section member 42 is similarly provided with an overhead bar 44 having ribs 46 on its lower face, with laterally projecting guide bars 48, with a bottom plate 50 and a cam stud 52 projecting downwardly therefrom. The bottom plate 50 of the cap section-member142is located relatively low in that member and the bottom plate 30 is located relatively high in the member 22, so that the two bottom plates will slide over each other when the two sections areassembled in shaving position. The guide bars 48 ofthe cap section member 42 are spaced inwardly'from the end walls, so as to provide-,a slot 49 designed to receive telescopically the corresponding guide bars 28 of the cap section 22. .The stops20in the guideways 18 limit the inward movement of'the cap section member 22 by engaging the inner ends of the guide bars 28, While inward movement of the cap-section'member 22 is limited by the engagement of the guide'bars-ZS with the inner end ofthe slot 49 in the -cap section -member `42. When thecapI section members 22 and -42 are assembled upon the guidemember 10, they are maintained-in sliding relation thereto by `theengagement of the guide bars 28 and 48 in the grooves or guideways -l'8, and the bottom plates 30 and 50 are disposed in sliding -superposed relation uponithellowerface of the guidemember.

The lateral or transverse position-of thetwo cap -section Fmembers is controlled by the cam studs 32 and 52 which vare received in eccentric cam slots 'formed in a `cam Iplate 54. The cam plate is mounted to rotate about the axis of the stem 16, beneath the guard member l0y andI in ccntact with the bottom plate 50 of the cap section member 42. Thecam plate is'rigidly securedto y the upper end of an operating sleeve 54 journaled uponsthe stemf16. The cam-plateand itsoperating -sleeve .56 .are :held in place vertically by `a lower sleeve 58 .which is rigidly secured to the end of the stem 1.16 by set screws v60. By1turning the operating sleeve -56 and the cam plate54 the cap section members'may be moved inwardly or outwardly with reference `to each other and theblade flexed and clamped in shavingy position or released and exposedfor'removalfrom'the razor.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 7, the cap section members 22 and 42 occupy their separated position, the sleeve 56 havingbeen turned to the limit of its movement .ina clockwise Idirection as seen in Fig. 4. 'In this position the 'blade-flexingbars 24 and 44are separated to an extent which .fully exposes the blade `supporting .face of the guard member 10,.so that the blade 34 maybe removed or replaced without interference and it will be noted ithat in this position both endsof the blade are fully yexposed so that they may be conveniently grasped vby `the fingers of Ytheuser.

The razor herein shown is designed ffor use, among others, with any thin flexible blade '.'having an elongated :internal .aperture shaped to register with'the rib Y1'4 ofthe guard member and provided with reentrant :recesses in its corners which define elongated unsharpened end portions located .centrally `of the blade. The end walls of thecap sections are slotted outwardly from their inner edges to receive the elongated end portions of the blade'34 and the end edges of the blade'extend substantially flush Iwith the outer faces of said end walls. The aperture of the blade, as shown lin Fig. 4, is provided with spaced transverse enlargements of various shapes which form a distinctive outline in the blade visible and more or less ornamental as seen between the bladeflexing bars of the cap sections. For this purpose the bars 24 and 44 are recessed at their inner edges respectively and are provided with end contact projections so that in closed position the caps expose the center portion of the blade.

Assuming that a blade 34 hasbeen placed upon the guard vmember in the position shown in Fig. 7 with its aperture registering with the rib 14, the sleeve 56 may now be rotated in a counterclockwise direction whereupon the action of the ycam slots upon the cam studs 32 and 52 is to move the cap section members inwardly. In

this movement the blade which has heretofore remainedin the iat condition, is engaged by the inclinedribs 26 and 46 of the cap bars 24 and 44 as suggested in Fig. l0 and the blade is flexed over the fulcrum shoulders of the guard member l0. Rotation of the cam plate 54 may be continued until the approaching movement ofthe two cap .section membersis'positively arrested in the manner already explained. In this position the blade 34 is flexed and clamped in shaving position as shown in Fig. 3. It will'be apparent that in this movement the flexing of theblade takes lplace or is effected in a Wedging manner by the inclined edges of theribs 26 of cap 'section bars. Accordingly the user isrequired to exert very little force in clampingthe razor for use and the unclamping .movement of the cap sections is correspondingly easy. Since there is only this light movement to deal with the'pitch'or eccentricity of the cam slots in the cam plate 54 may be made steep and the entiremovementof the cap section'members effected in approximately a lturning movement of 90 of the cam plate. The result'is that by a very quick, light movement'the razor is completely clamped for shaving or openedwide for replacement of the blade.

.Having thus Ydescribed `my invention what I claim as'new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:-

1. A safety razor comprising a guard member shaped to support aiiexed blade, and cooperating vcap sections guided for movement toward or from blade-flexing position above the guard vin rectilinear ypaths extending .transversely of the guard.v

2. A safety razor-comprising cooperating bladeflexingmembers, one having a convex face and the other having a concave face, and being mounted for relative sliding movement transversely to the axis of blade flexing. 3. Asafety razor comprising cooperatingbladeflexing members for a double-edged blade, one having a convex face and the other comprising sections having concave faces and being mounted for equal and opposite rectilinear movement transversely to the axis of blade flexing.

4. A safetyrazor comprising a guard having a longitudinal blade-flexing face, and capsections having guide members connecting them for tranverse rectilinear .movement with said Vguard below its blade-flexing .face and elongated .bladeflexing faces disposed above said face.

5. A safety razor comprising a guard having a blade-supporting face, box-shaped cap sections connected to the guard for transverse sliding movement and extending above and below said face, and means for simultaneously moving said cap sections toward or from each other.

6. A safety razor comprisinga guard having .a blade-supporting face and transverse guideways in its ends, cap sections having guide members fitted in said guideways, thus being connected to the guard for transverse movement, and means for moving said cap sections to cover or uncover portions of said blade-supporting face.

7. In a safety razor, a cap section member comprising an open frame including a iiat bottom plate, upright side walls, and an overhead bladeilexing bar recessed at one edge and having spaced curved ribs upon its lower face.

8. In a safety razor, a cap section member comprising an open frame including a bottom plate, upright side walls having transverse guides thereon, and a narrow blade-exing bar disposed in spaced relation to said bottom blade and having spaced curved ribs upon its lower face.

9. A safety razor comprising a blade-supporting member, and a pair of cap sections mounted for transverse sliding movement on said member and having interlocking connections for determining their position of nearest approach.

10. A safety razor comprising a blade-supporting member, box-like cap sections each having a lower portion arranged to pass beneath said member and an upper blade-flexing bar arranged to pass above said member, and means acting on said lower portions to control the transverse position of said sections.

ll. A safety razor comprising a blade-clamping member having a convex face for supporting a flexible blade in flat condition thereon, and a to expose the surface of the blade when the cap sections occupy their innermost position above said clamping member.

13. A safety razor comprising a blade-clampv ing member for supporting a flexible blade in flat condition thereon, and cap sections mounted for transverse movement above said member to ex the blade by progressive wedging action an amount less than the movement of the cap sections while in contact with the surface of the blade.

14. A safety razor comprising a guard, and cooperating cap sections mounted upon the guard for equal and opposite transverse movement to and from closed, blade-flexing position, the cap sections having end contact projections and being recessed in their inner edges to expose the center portion of the blade when the cap sections are closed.

HARRY STONEY. 

